In 1935 a group of girls from Clipston School were invited to the BBC studios in Birmingham to give an account of their May Day celebrations and to sing May Day songs. This was a great thrill because most of the children had listened to Children's Hour with head phones and the crystal wireless but to actually hear themselves on the wireless was quite a thing.
Dora Mutton was one of the girls who went and she remembers being shown around the studios and then being taken into a sound proofed studio with no windows, just artificial light. When the signal was given they began to sing.
They had been trained by the Reverend Walter Pitchford who lived at Lamport and he had researched two songs for them. One was Tommy's Garland and the other was A Maying Song.

A MAYING SONG

Remember us poor Mayers all
For now we do begin
To lead our lives in righteousness
Before we die in sin.
We've been a travelling all the night
And best part of the day
Now we're returned back again
To bring you a branch of May.
A branch of May that looks so gay
Around your door to stand.
Tis but a sprout but, tis well spread out
By the work of God's own hand.
And now our song is almost done
We've got no more to say
God bless you all both great and small
We wish you a merry May.

The May Queen that year was Lucy Sumner. The girls had sung live of course as their were no recording facilities then, so when they got back to the village they asked everyone 'Did you hear us on the wireless?' Of course they had all had their sets on and it had been quite an exciting day for the school and the village.

Lucy Sumner May Queen 1935